TwoKinds: War of Change
by Badministrator
Summary: "War to everything that's alive. War on everything that you can burn. That's the new battle cry of this war, and I intend for each and every one of you follow it to the letter."
1. The Long Road

Atop an over hanging cliff, two cloaked figures peered down into the ravine below, which looked like the result of some giant hand scooping out a chunk of earth. Despite the heavy downpour, the faint glow of torches was still visible to the unknown observers. The column of mounted riders trudged on, from above, nothing more than a parade of ants, rallying mindlessly behind the beck and call of their superiors. A hive mind, each rank and file soldier unwavering in their faith of their betters.

Scanning along the columns, one of the figures' keen eyes noticed several things all at once. Horses' hooves sticking in the soft ground, the occasional rider thrown from their saddle. Near the back lines, a few servants desperately tried to free a baggage cart when one of its back wheels caught and stuck in the mud.

Even from their position so far above the troubles of the war party, the two could just faintly hear the abuse the carriage driver was hurtling at the slaves.

"This storm's slowed them down significantly." The voice, soft-spoken, but appealing, belonged to the shorter of the two.

The taller figure did not deign to reply, instead giving a guttural grunt to signal he had heard. Fixing his gaze on a horse racing towards the front, he studied the rider's matte gray armor, muddy velvet cloak, and green crest and concluded the man was indeed the messenger that had been dispatched. If his sources were right, and they always were, that messenger was heading towards the platoon's supply commander.

"Do you suppose they're going to continue their march?" The female inquired, reaching up and gently rolling down the mask that covered the lower half of her face. Lifting a pointed, sand colored muzzle towards the sky, she gave a few sniffs of the air. "Seems like it's going to continue raining for a couple more days. Three at most. If they were smart, they'd turn back now and continue when this storm passes..."

"Then again, I doubt they'd let a little rain stop them. I'll admit, the Templars don't lack in ambition." She added, almost as an afterthought.

Again, a grunt, but no sound other than that.

"Sooooo..." she drawled lazily, "How much longer do you think Freyja is going to be?"

Silence.

Spinning on her heel, she jabbed a gloved finger none too gently into the man's ribs, a less than amused look on her face.

"Don't think I don't know what's going on inside your head, _amadán_. You try it and I'll drag you back to camp by your cloak."

The threat was somewhat lost considering the size difference between the two, but the man took it to heart either way, fully aware of how serious his companion was.

Turning to face her, their eyes met and the showdown began. His shrewd, steel gray eyes battling for supremacy over her gentle, pleasant violet ones.

After what seemed like minutes, the man relented, as he had so many times before. To anyone else, the man's face would have been utterly expressionless, but the woman could make out a ghost of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Alright Sev, I surrender. How can I argue when you look at me like that?"

Beneath her hood, Severa's ears pricked up like they always did whenever Caderyn actually spoke. Severa had always found Caderyn's low, husky voice to be rather soothing...and maybe, admittedly, a little attractive. But she sure as hell wasn't going to ever admit that to him.

"Smart choice." Severa muttered, glad it was too dark for her friend to see the slight redness that had crept to her face.

"In all seriousness though," Severa snapped her head back to look at Caderyn, who had adopted a calculating look, "I'm positive they're going to continue their march. Even with the occasional wolf raids, their numbers are still substantial and their supplies should last a few months, more so if they ration. They're too far out of friendly territory to turn back, which will only result in more casualties for no success. What's more-"

"Alright Caderyn, I get it." Severa groaned, punching him lightly in the arm for emphasis. Caderyn wasn't the most talkative fellow, but get him going about tactics and strategy and, well...Severa would have a better chance at stopping the whole Templar army by herself.

"Right. Sorry. Hmm...if only I could disrupt their chain of command somehow...perhaps take out their higher ups..." Caderyn trailed off, lost in thought.

"Hey!" Severa snapped louder than she meant to, but if Caderyn was startled, he didn't show it. "Remember what you promised. We aren't going to get involved with this unless absolutely necessary. Besides..." Severa trailed off into a mutter.

Caderyn tilted his head, internally wishing he had the hearing capabilities of a Keidran. "Come again?"

"Never mind, it doesn't matter." Severa sighed, both outwardly and to herself. She'd almost let slip that she couldn't bear the thought of Caderyn killing anymore, but such protection was stupid and childish. They weren't children anymore, and she had enough faith in her friend that he wouldn't go back to being...that way, again.

Severa was so lost in thought, she audibly yipped when she felt something fall upon her head. It was only then that she realized Caderyn was resting his hand on her head, right between her ears. Looking up at him, she silently cursed him as her tail began wagging back and forth uncontrollably.

_Wish I could control that damn thing._

"Don't worry Severa, we'll be fine." Caderyn muttered quietly. Another small smile played across his lips, partly out of encouragement, but mostly because he had noticed Severa's tail reeking havoc under her cape.

Truthfully, Caderyn had always found that Severa's tail wagging whenever they made contact rather cute. But he would never tell her that...at least, not without dying from embarrassment.

That is, assuming Severa didn't get to him first.

"Listen carefully," the Templar Chamberlain, André Frey, said brusquely to the reeves that surrounded him. "I'm going to give you new instructions."

His subordinates froze in anticipation.

"I would like to point out, gentlemen," he began, "that what you heard before does not pertain to you. From here on out, you will be following different orders. My orders."

André shook his cloak, spraying water in all directions before wiping his forehead. Glancing uncertainly to the side, he recoiled slightly at the sight of a crow perched on one of the baggage carts.

"What in the..." he muttered to himself. Crows weren't an uncommon sight in these parts by any means, but normally would not be so bold to get this close to humans.

_Perhaps one of the soldiers brought it along as pet? Wouldn't put it past some of the dumb bastards in this detachment..._

Either way, it shouldn't have concerned him, as that sort of punishment was the problem of the squad commanders, but the way the creature stared at him filled André with a sense of dread.

Cold, calculating eyes, the color of a winter storm. An unnatural color for a crow.

"Sir?"

André jumped slightly, his mind clearing as though being broken from a spell. Tearing his gaze from the crow, he gave an uneasy smile at the concerned faces surrounding him.

"Right, like I was saying. War to the wolf villages, peace to the human ones. That's what the Templar Master said to his men the other day. You know that, you learned it in officer school. From tomorrow, a new rule applies."

For only a moment, André faltered, but he knew if he showed any weakness, he wouldn't be able to justify what he was about to say. A terrible shiver rocked his body and once again he could feel the stare of the crow boring into his mind like a drill. Steeling himself, and in a just and righteous tone, uttered the few words he thought would never imagine saying.

"War to everything that's alive. War on everything that you can burn. That's the new battle cry of this war, and I intend for each and every one of you follow it to the letter."

For a moment, no one said a word, the sound of horse hooves and shouting men echoing in their ears as they tried to process what had just been said to them. Finally, one of the braver officers managed to find his voice.

"S-sir, L-lord Chamberlain, sir. Y-you're telling us to...k-kill and burn...human settlements?"

André looked somberly at the young man, understanding the confusion of these new developments. In truth, André himself could barely believe the orders he had received only a few minutes ago. Reaching across his saddle, he gripped the officer's forearm tightly, a sympathetic look in his eye.

"Aye lad, that's what I'm telling you. From here on out, a scorched earth policy has gone into effect. Anything of value, you are to take and report it to the treasury for inventory. Cattle and livestock are to be slaughtered and taken to the supply carriages, and any settlements burned and reduced to ash. The wolves have grown bolder each day and any human village they capture will only serve as a potential base for them. Therefore, we are to eliminate that opportunity for them."

"But sir!" His youngest officer, little more than a boy, cried, "Who gave these orders!? This is...this is madness!"

The Lord Chamberlain turned his head, grimacing as he locked eyes with the silent predator for the last time. His temple started throbbing, a dull pain began forming behind his eyeball, and for a brief second, André could have sworn he saw a vision of a ominous cloaked figure standing atop the cart, right behind the bird.

Both creatures stared him down, with the same gray eyes.

"Why... these orders came directly from the Grand Templar, of course."

"Here she comes."

Severa glanced down into the scarred earth and could just barely make out the vague shape of an winged creature climbing higher towards their observation post.

"Did you two learn anything good for once?" Severa joked lightly, knowing firsthand that Caderyn and Freyja were one of the most effective recon teams on the planet.

"Hmm...just a few trivial tidbits." Caderyn joked back, his go to response whenever asked that question.

Caderyn watched Freyja descend from graceful flight to land clumsily on his shoulder, fluttering her wings several times to steady herself.

"Good girl, Freyja. Good girl." Caderyn cooed quietly, reaching up to scratch the bird's chin.

Severa watched the exchange with a small smile, as the crow began hopping around Caderyn's shoulder, pecking affectionately at his ear and cheek, making low, warbling noises. Severa knew the stories about the intelligence of crows, and their ability to memorize the faces of humans, Bastitan and Kiedran.

For awile she never put much stock into such tales, but after Caderyn had nursed Freyja back to health after she had been mauled by a cat, Severa would swear by the fact that that bird was smarter than some people she knew.

"If you're done with the public displays, perhaps we can get going?" Severa asked, raising an eyebrow, "Tell that pet of yours that I want to get out of this rain."

Caderyn grimaced slightly, stretching his purple, silk mask over his nose, "She's not a pet, Sev...and she has a name you know."

Severa looked over her shoulder, the smile under mask unseen, but the playful look in her eyes still visible to Caderyn. "I was talking to Freyja, Caderyn."


	2. A Father

Knight Commander Aedan, known infamously by the nickname Hooch, spurred his horse forward, panting heavily and snarling angrily. The Knight Officers jumped in their saddles, before assuming military poses and expressions.

Colin, the cavalry's Knight Officer, dexterously slipped the sheepskin of vodka they had been passing around into his saddle bag. Not because drinking was necessarily prohibited by Templar law, but more in order to save the sheepskin itself. The Commander's nickname wasn't exactly an accident after all.

"Well Commander, sir?" Kraska, the battlemages Knight Officer, asked curiously. "Are we going to cross the border by week's end?"

For a moment, Aedan said nothing, simply wiped his soaked face with an equally soaked handkerchief.

_Damn storm. I don't think I've been dry once since we began marching._

"One moment," Aedan grunted. "What bloody cold. First I need something to warm my body, so bring out that sheepskin you sorry lot were passing around. And don't tell me you haven't got one, I could smell the reek of booze six platoons down."

Colin, muttering an oath, slipped the skin from his bag and deftly tossed it to the Commander.

"Aaaaah...that's some foul stuff," said the commander, wiping his beard and eyes before taking another long swig of the clear liquor.

"So, sir?" Kraska prompted once again.

"Alright lad, calm down," Aedan sighed. "Well...after convening with the other Commanders, we've figured that at the rate we are going, we aren't going to reach the border in time."

The officers remained silent, digesting this information. In truth, none of them were too surprised by the information.

It was only a day ago that the column had stumbled their way out of the ravine that cut through the human controlled territory. Now, in the dense, oppressive forests of the wolf lands, they were making even slower time, having to navigate an entire battalion with provisions along hostile land.

"If we were to simply take our infantry and battlemages and push ahead with them, leaving the carriages and cavalry to catch up, we'd make it in time. However," Aedan grimaced, "the Knight Grand Officer and Master Templar feel that would leave the supply columns unprotected, and they're not going to risk that, what with the wolf raids."

Nils, a rugged looking fox Keidran, and current infantry Knight Officer, spat on the ground, raising an eyebrow at the group. "What's so important in those carriages anyway? Looked like building materials to me."

"That's on a need to know basis," Aedan replied easily, "and you, as it so happens, don't need to know, Nils."

The Keidran simply shrugged, content with the answer. After all, he probably would have been killed by wolf slavers four months ago, if it hadn't been for the Templars. He'd had his reservations at first, but he'd found a significant portion of the Templars were good people, at least among the warriors. The scholars were a whole other breed that Nils had no interest in.

"Well, either way, we need to- Nils, what's wrong?" Colin asked, noticing the strange look on the Keidran's face.

Nils sniffed the air, just able to make out a familiar scent permeating the air.

_No, can't be...they wouldn't be so bold as to attack this far up the column. If they did it means they'd be going for...the commanders!_

"Wolves!" Nils screamed, drawing the long sword at his side, the same moment a large war party of wolves burst from the trees, brandishing a wide variety of weapons.

"Sound the ala-" Colin cried out, a spear suddenly sprouting from his chest plate. Without another sound, he spilled out of his saddle, blood staining the spear shaft.

"To arms!" Aedan shouted triumphantly, swinging his mace with accurate precision, felling three wolves in just as many seconds. Two went down, crying out, clutching their wounds, before retreating back towards the forest. The third went down and didn't get back up.

The rest of the officers rallied behind their commander and a detachment of Templar battlemages, infantry and cavalry broke off from the column to face the raiders.

The battle was short, but nonetheless fierce and bloody. Nils cautiously circled his current opponent, gauging the reach of his axe versus Nils' long sword. Like a viper, Nils suddenly thrust his sword forward, but his opponent was just as fast.

Feigning to the left, the wolf used his momentum for a series of quick slashes, but was easily blocked by Nils' kite shield. Gripping the axe with both hands, the wolf brought it down over his head in an effort to crush through the Keidran's guard.

The axe bit deep into the oak wood of the shield, bit and held, which was the only opening Nils needed.

Throwing his shield arm to the side, wrenching the axe from the wolf's grip, Nils followed through with a graceful pirouette into a powerful diagonal slash.

The wolf cried out in agony, falling at Nils' feet, the fifth wolf to do so since the fight began. Rubbing a cloth along his blade to clear the blood, Nils gazed around at the last remnants of the battle.

Kraska and his battlemages were mopping up the remaining wolves, hurling large bolts of magic and fire at them as they retreated. One brave wolf fighter, suddenly cut off from his brethren, brought his sword down on a Templar, shearing through his armor and effectively killing him. His victory was short lived however, as five Templars descended upon him, their swords a flurry of death.

Soon, the battleground became silent, save for the agonized groans from injured wolves and Templars alike.

Nils felt a hand grasping at his ankle, and looked down to see an unfamiliar wolf lying on his back, his fur matted with fresh blood, a large ugly gash across stomach. Just looking at the extent of his inuries, Nils knew the wolf wasn't going to survive.

"Please...help..." the wolf, just moments before ready to kill any Templar he saw, had now been reduced to a mewling wretch, begging his former enemy for mercy. "I don't want...die...my d-daughter...alone...alone..."

Nils crouched beside the fallen warrior. The wolf was rather large, with sharp facial features, a muscular body and chocolate brown fur. At one point, before this battle, he must have been handsome.

Placing his hand lightly on the wolf's cheek, Nils asked in a sincere tone, "What is your name?"

"J-Jax..." the wolf wheezed, clearly pained from the effort.

"Jax, what is your daughter's name?" Nils asked, a silent tear brimming at the edge of his eye.

"Her...her n-name?" The wolf suddenly looked even more pained, if that was at all possible. "I don't...I can't r-remember...my baby's name..." Tears began rolling freely down the wolf's face, but he was far to weak to wipe them away.

"Jax, remember! What. Is. Her. Name?" Nils said sternly.

The wolf's face cleared, and Nils could see the pride and joy twinkling in his eyes. "Her name's Violet. After her mother."

"Violet," the Keidran repeated, finally allowing a tear to escape his crystal blue eyes. "It's a good name. A pretty name."

"Yes, a good name..." the wolf repeated, his mind lost again in the cold embrace of death. "A pretty name...a good girl..." Nils saw the light fade from the wolf's eyes, and gently brushed his hand down his face. It was only fitting a warrior die with his or her eyes closed, Nils thought, so as to see not the death and carnage of battle, but of what they were fighting for in the first place.

"Nils!" A gruff, raspy voiced snapped the Keidran back to reality, and he looked up to see a limping Aedan, being helped along by an uninjured Kraska.

Standing up, Nils saluted as befitted his station, "Sir."

"Never mind the formalities boy. The battles over...human or Keidran, the dead are the same and we're still here to tell the tale." Glancing curiously at the wolf body lying near Nils' feat, Aedan tilted his head curiously. "Did you know him?"

"No, sir." Nils replied.

"So who the hell was he?" Aedan asked curtly.

Nils looked at the body near his feet. He could have said many things, a wolf, a Keidran, the enemy. Instead, he replied with the only answer he thought appropriate.

"He was a father, sir."


	3. Confessions

**Quick AN, so for anyone who does actually read my story, and this far into it, thank you, I appreciate it. I probably won't be updating it as fast as I am currently, but these first few chapters have been rather short to begin with. **

**So on with the story, and just as a side note, ****reviews are always encouraged, just to let me know if you enjoy the story or to let me know what you think I could do better. **

**Important note****! This chapter is kind of filler, I've been busy at university, so it may not be that great, but give it a shot. I also kind of had my girlfriend help me write with this one, so big thanks to her.**

**I repeat, just a fluffy, lighthearted chapter. Prepare yourself.**

"Hmmm...hmmm...hmmmmm-"

"Oh for the love of- just go already, WILL YA!?"

Severa looked up from the chess board, a sly smirk on her face, which only seemed to infuriate Griffon more.

"Wipe that damn look off yer face, bloody bastard." Griffon growled.

"I'm not sure what look you're referring to, Grif." Severa muttered, as innocent as a newborn kitten. "This is what my face always looks like."

Severa's smirk grew even wider when her friend resorted to mumbling curses and threats under his breath, the chess game virtually forgotten at this point.

Griffon, Severa and Caderyn's other companion, was rugged looking, chocolate colored canine Keidran. Large, muscular, and not particularly bright in the average sense of the word, he was well traveled and happened to enjoy the simpler things in life. He was also going on eighteen years of age, and often voice his opinion that he never deserved the disrespect he received, being the elder, after all.

Caderyn had never worked up the nerve to tell him that considering he was four years older than Griffon, he was the elder.

Not that it probably would have mattered anyway.

"What was that?" Severa cupped her hand behind her ear, pretending to strain her hearing even though she had no need to. Her superior Keidran hearing picked up everything Griffon said.

"I said if that's what your face always looks like, then I feel bad for ya. Must be hard to live, bein that ugly and what not." Griffon hissed. Griffon couldn't help but snicker in satisfaction as he watched Severa's face turn unnaturally red.

"Oh that's rich, coming from such a mangy mutt!" Severa put as much venom into her voice as she could muster, which wasn't exactly a lot.

"Hey, I'll have ya know that-"

"I'll have you know that I don't give a damn what you're about to say."

Griffon jumped slightly, startled, at the abrupt statement from the deep voice behind him. He twisted his head over his shoulder, staring at the purple and blue bundle of clothes that was nestled in the crook of a nearby tree.

"By the gods Caderyn, ya tryin to send me to an early grave?" Griffon spat angrily in the general direction of his friend.

For a moment Caderyn looked thoughtful, "Well, if it'll finally let me sleep in peace, maybe. You almost woke poor Freyja too." Caderyn reached up to gently pet Freyja's head, who was nestled against his neck.

Griffon shivered, legitimately concerned at how non nonchalantly Caderyn issued the threat, and also how attached to that bird he was. "Caderyn, you seriously put the heart crossway in me sometimes, you know that?"

Caderyn simply grunted, neither confirming nor denying Griffon's fears, before stretching his arms high above his head, painstakingly working out each muscle. Reaching blindly at a tree branch above his head, his hands felt the familiar silk fabric of his vest and scarf. Rising from his perch, his leg muscles screamed at him, but he ignored the pain, focusing on dressing himself.

Even for a human, Caderyn was tall, often looming over most with ease. Lithe and muscular from years of diligent training, his perfectly tan skin was a tapestry for battle. Each scar had a past, a name associated with it, and a long forgotten pain.

Once fully clothed, he was an imposing figure, both from stature and from the specific clothes he wore, a style often favored by the Seers of the Sharma desert tribes, far to the south. A deep, ocean blue sleeveless vest, which was kept open, covered his chest, matching a pair of pants of the same color. Royal purple boots and purple sash around his waist completed the look, an elaborately crafted dagger hanging from his waist. His hands were covered with heavy purple gloves, but other than that, his arms were left bare.

A purple scarf and hood were present on his shoulders, the scarf thickly wrapped to barely conceal an equally purple face mask that covered the lower half of his young face. Dark auburn hair stuck out slightly from the hood, and peculiar, light blue runes adorned the scarf and sash.

"So," he sighed contently, "what do we have planned for today? Oh by the way Severa, knight to B7."

Severa looked up at Caderyn who was standing off to the side rummaging through his bag, "What? But then he'll just-"

The Keidran was cut off by a pointed look from her friend and never once doubting the extent of his intellect, did as he instructed.

For a moment, Griffon looked confused, slowly moving his bishop into a spot that contested Severa's king piece. "I don't see what that accomplished, except gettin her king in a bind, maybe you're slipping-"

"Queen to H4." Caderyn cut him off swiftly, his eyes staring at the chess board with a strange look in his eye.

Severa's queen flew across the board, eliminating the bishop and it was then Severa noticed Griffon's king was now the one in peril.

"Check," she muttered, her eyes scanning the board, "...no wait a moment...that's checkmate."

"What!?" Griffon cried, his eyes darting around the board skeptically, "No, you're taking the piss out of me."

"Nope, that's checkmate." Severa replied, folding her arms across her chest, satisfied by her- er, the joint victory of her and Caderyn.

"That was almost too easy Grif. No offense, but I was five steps ahead of you the whole time." Caderyn winked at his friend.

"Aye, that's a fret right there." Griffon replied lightly. He wasn't really surprised things turned out the way they did. "Alright lass, you win, good match. Gorlog's beard, I didn't know this was gonna be a tag team match though." Sighing deeply, he stood up slowly, practically hearing his joints creak from the effort. "Now I'm gonna go take my watch, make sure those Templars are where we want 'em to be."

"Freyja, why don't you go with him. Gods know Grif could lose his ass if it wasn't attachted to him." Caderyn said to his bird, who simply cawed, almost as if agreeing with him.

Griffon gave Caderyn a not so agreeable gesture in response, "Come 'er birdie, at least you don't make fun of me."

Severa stifled a laugh as Griffon grumpily stormed off into the thick underbrush, bird in tow, before lazily throwing her legs up on a nearby stump, slipping off the light, linen robe she wore during the day. Underneath, she was naked, but like most Keidran, felt more comfortable that way.

From the other side of the camp site, Caderyn couldn't help but take a quick glimpse out of the corner of his eye. It was hard not to. The sun, finally breathing new life once again, reflected off Severa's pelt, giving it a beautiful, eye catching sheen.

Like most members of the Desert Fox Tribe, Sever's fur was an extremely light shade of brown, becoming white near her stomach and the tip of her bushy tail. Unlike her tribesmen though, from the tips of her fingers to her forearms, and from mid thigh down to her feet, was a darker brown, almost like she was wearing gloves and stockings. Her hair was a luminescent gold, with small white tufts of fur coming from hear ears, which were dark brown at the very tips.

Embarrassed though he might be, Caderyn would be the most vocal in arguing that Severa might have been one of the most beautiful creatures that walked the earth.

Severa glanced over and noticing the solemn expression on her friend's face, gave him a charming smile.

_Gods, he looks so serious all the time. Wouldn't kill him to smile more often. And that outfit...well, he does look rather good in it, very wise...royal, even, but purple and blue aren't exactly subtle colors. Wonder what he's thinking about right now? Probably something to do with the Templars or the likes._

It would have both surprised and flustered her beyond all belief if Severa actually knew what was going through her friend's mind.

_Damn, she is beautiful...and that smile...wow...Wait-shit! Should I, should I smile back? Crap, too late. Uuuugh, I'm capable of outmaneuvering some of the worlds greatest generals, and yet I can't even smile at my girlfriend without getting all nervous. Ehhhh...that is to say, my friend...who just so happens to be a girl. Not my actual...why'd Grif have to go take his watch now? I can't be left alone these thoughts-wait, what the hell am I even thinking anymore? I've known Severa for years now, why am I suddenly getting all-_

"Something wrong, _amadán_?" Severa asked playfully, using her pet nickname for Caderyn, a simple joke, as _amadán _was the word for "fool" in Griffon's country.

"Huh!? Oh...uh, no nothing's wrong Sev. Why would you think something's wrong? Hehe...he...ugh..." Caderyn trailed off, blatantly aware of how uncharacteristic he was acting, and decided not to dig his own grave.

To his amazement, Severa giggled, a light silvery sound that seemed to echo around the trees, seeming to bring the forest to life. "No reason. I've just never see you act this way before." She smiled at him, crossing her hands over her thigh. Caderyn sighed softly, leaning up against a nearby tree and slid down until he was sitting, pulling his mask down away from his face so he could breath clearer.

_"Yeah well...that's cause...I've never...never had feelings like this before."_

_Severa blushed a deep scarlet, casting her eyes down away from his, a small, nervous smile dancing across her lips. "W-what a-are you t-t-talking? W-what feelings?"_

_Swallowing the deep sense of fear that was building in his throat, he removed his gloves, and reacing out with a shaking hand, rested it on her cheek. Severa's blush deepened and he saw her lips squeeze together, a small fang protruding out of her mouth._

_"I mean-the feelings I-" he sighed. He could do this, he was brave, just say it. Say it. "The feelings I have for you...Severa...I love y-"_

"CAD!"

Caderyn head flung backwards, slamming painfully against the tree, completely caught off guard by the shout of alarm.

"Owww...Huh? Who? Where...?" He looked down the length of his nose and was met with two, violet eyes staring intently back at him, not even six inches away from his face.

"S-Severa?" He asked, suddenly aware that he could feel the heat from her breath against his lips. "W-what happened?"

Raising an eyebrow, clearly not amused, she replied, "I dunno. You tell me, one minute you're acting weird, and then you just completely zoned out."

"I did?" Caderyn wondered, the pain where his head connected with the tree making his memory a little fuzzy. "I guess I did, yeah. Sorryeeeeeeeeee- uhhh S-Severa?"

"Yeah?" the Keidran asked, tilting her head slightly, wondering why Caderyn's face suddenly looked the color of the setting sun.

"Y-you're s-sitting in my lap, a-and your hands and c-ch-chest a-are, ummm..."

Looking down, as if realizing it just now, Severa's face turned the same color as Caderyn's when she saw her chest, which was...considerably sizable, mildly putting it, especially for someone of her proportions, was squished up against him. Her hands were a whole other mess of trouble, one hand resting on his thigh, and the other hiding somewhere under his vest.

Neither Caderyn nor Severa made any movement, a tense game of "Who dares first." Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on perspective, the choice was made for them when Griffon burst from the trees, an explosion of leaves and broken branches marking his entrance.

"We need to make ourselves scarce, a Templar scouting party is..." Griffon trailed off, his eyes perpetually widening as he finally processed what he was looking at. Both him and Freyja comically tilted their heads simultaneously, mouths agape, but it seemed no one was in a laughing mood.

"Grif it's not..." Caderyn stammered.

"This isn't what it-!" Severa cried, finally managing to disentangle her hand from his clothing and springing to her feet in one swift motion.

Griffon continued to stare at the pair, a devilish grin forming on his rugged face. "Look at that there, birdie, we leave for a few minutes and those two young'uns start gettin all hot and bothered."

Freyja the crow cawed several times and Caderyn's face dropped into one of disbelief, "Freyja, not you too!"

"Can we worry about this later!?" Severa cried indignant, already flittering around the campsite, hastily scooping up her robe and knapsack.

The two men each nodded once, following suit. Dumping a nearby bucket of water on the remains of their campfire, Caderyn silently cursed himself.

_Well that could have gone much better.. I can't believe I really just dreamed that, Gorlog's teeth I'm a bloody idiot...great, now I'm using Griffon's deities for my curses. _

"Alright love birds, let's get going." Griffon snickered, heading off in the direction away from where he spotted the Templars.

"I told you Griffon, it wasn't like that at all." Caderyn whined.

"Hey, I just say it like I see it. And the way I saw it, she couldn't have been more on your d-"

"Continue that sentence, and I won't be held responsible for what I do to you, Grif." Caderyn rubbed his temples as he set off after his friend. Again he cursed himself when he noticed Severa lagging behind.

_Gods, she probably thinks I'm a total idiot right now._

The truth, however, was not along those lines.

_Oh my gods...did...did Caderyn almost just confess that he loved me!?_

**Like I said, just a fluffy, not too important chapter. Reviews are always appreciated, let me know what you think. Thanks for reading.**


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